


Heaven Help a Fool Who Falls in Love

by jewelofmandalore



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, F/M, Fluff, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Injury, Internal Conflict, Shili (Star Wars), Slow Burn, Togruta (Star Wars), Tribal Themes, Warrior Ahsoka Tano, discussions about life, rexsoka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24874354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jewelofmandalore/pseuds/jewelofmandalore
Summary: It was supposed to be a stealth mission. In, out, undetected.So why is Rex not surprised when he comes face to face with the horned warrior honing a dangerous glint in her eyes that he was warned about?
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex/Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 8
Kudos: 139





	Heaven Help a Fool Who Falls in Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!
> 
> First off, I would like to apologize for the hiatus. I have just been pretty swamped with school recently since I've decided to take some summer classes, and I've also just been having trouble channeling my creative energy into the current fics I have going on. Which is what spurred this! I'm not super sure what it even is, but it has been a really good outlet for me to release a buildup of a lot of different scenarios and ideas. I really enjoyed writing it and hope you all love reading it.
> 
> I plan on getting back to updating again regularly, and I have a few requests I'm working on which should be up soon as well. I hope everyone is still staying healthy during this confusing time, and starting to enjoy their summer again :)
> 
> A few things to note before reading:
> 
> \- Ahsoka is about the same age as Rex's biological age in this story (meaning prob about 21-22ish)  
> \- The Togruta Village is a mix of towns in Ryloth and the Lurmen Village since I drew inspiration from both

Rex cocked his head slightly as he listened to yet another one of the General’s borderline psychotic plans. The internal helmet comms were alive with activity from the surrounding troopers, as they all buzzed with excitement about their newest mission. Rex had to laugh, the men were just as smitten with Skywalker’s fondness of daring assaults as he was with his twin DCs.

Although he trusted his jetiise, something about this plan rubbed Rex the wrong way. The five-oh-first was the best of the best, but that didn’t make these stealth and intel missions their strong suit.

There had been reports of seperatist activity and a possible listening post or base on Shili, a planet untouched by both the Republic and separatists alike. Rex didn’t really know the whole story, but somehow Shili had been allies with the Republic before the war, yet once the fighting broke out they revoked their treaty and closed themselves off from the rest of the galaxy. Rumor had it that no offworlder had stepped foot on the planet’s ground since the time of the Old Republic.

If the separatists had managed to infiltrate Shili’s atmosphere and set up some sort of base, it would be catastrophic for the Grand Army. Due to the fact that no one had been in contact with Shili or it’s people in almost a decade, the Senate and Jedi Council alike had come to an agreement that it would be necessary to take the risk and simply send troops for investigation without technically receiving permission.

Rex could only guess as to why they had selected General Skywalker and the boys in blue. There were many reasons why they would be the right choice to send, and other criteria that made the battalion questionable. When questioned, Skywalker had simply said as long as they didn’t interact with the natives, it would be a cut and dry mission, and hopefully they would locate and destroy the seppie base, if they even found one.

Other than the fact that Rex didn’t really have the authority to question the Council or the Senate, he was honestly relieved to have a more off battlefield type mission. Umbara, although a few standard months had passed since, still felt like a fresh wound. He was appreciative of the support and loyalty his General had shown himself and his men since the ordeal, but that didn’t make him still shiver at the thought of leading men into battle and thinking about the terrible mistakes he had made as Commander on that godforsaken hellohole of a planet.

This mission, although still pretty questionable, would be a nice change of pace.

“Alright men, that’s it for the briefing, you’re all dismissed.” Skywalker nodded to the few other clones that had been a part of the meeting. Echo and Fives the ARCs, Coric the resident medic, and Dyre the terrain specialist. They all gave a respective nod before leaving the briefing room.  
“Rex, as you’re aware this mission isn’t an assault or attack of any kind, so I want you to select a company to bring with. The rest of the battalion will be sent back to Coruscant for leave until we return.” He gave a small smile, and Rex’s own lips quirked up under his helmet. General Skywalker, always thinking of the men. He nodded and made his way to the mess hall to meet up with the rest of his men.

He already knew that Torrent Company would be the perfect group for the job, not to mention the fact that they were some of Rex’s closest brothers, they had also worked with Skywalker personally countless times before.

The mess was filled to the brim with men laughing, talking, and eating. Rex easily spotted Torrent sitting at a table towards the back and walked over to them, grabbing a tray of food before taking a seat next to Kix. He removed his helmet and set it down next to everyone else's.

“Commander, you gonna eat your nerf slice?” Fives asked, gesturing to the slice of dethawed meat on his tray. Rex shook his head, handing over the portion, he wasn’t that hungry anyways and he knew that Fives and Echo had just returned from a mission with the 91st Reconnaissance Corps probably making them more hungry than usual. As soon as the nerf hit the ARC trooper’s plate, Echo had picked off a piece and put it on his own. The two batchmates began bickering and Rex simply rolled his eyes.

“So, Torrent Company needed for something, Sir?” Kix asked, cocking a brow. Rex laughed and nodded. “Echo, Fives, Coric, and Dyre were already part of the briefing but the General asked me to pick a company to bring with. Obviously Torrent would be my first choice.” He took note of the way Dyre’s cheeks tinted slightly at the mention of being a real member of Torrent. The trooper had just been transferred over to the 501s after Kamino had released a clone that had new kind of special training to identify different terrains, planets, species, and ways to handle survival situations. He was a good kid, Rex had taken a liking to him.

“We’re in Sir, obviously, what’s the mission?” Jesse asked, mouth full of nerf and ration bars. Kix rolled his eyes at his brother’s lack of manners.

“Well men, it’s a stealth mission. Planet untouched by the Republic and the Seppies, possibility of a base or listening post. The General wants us to destroy it if we find one.”

“That’s it?” Fives questioned, unimpressed by the lack of excitement. Rex huffed. “Not one person who doesn’t live on the planet has taken a step on it’s grounds in decades. And, the native tribes are supposedly just as deadly as Mandalorian Clans. Let’s hope we don’t run into any, right Fives?” His tone was teasing, and they all chuckled.

Rex finished what was left of his serving, and grabbed his tray and helmet before standing up. “Final briefing at 0700 men, we ship out tomorrow.” He nodded to his vode, and left the mess, leaving his tray in the bin by the door.

He opted to take a quick shower in his private ‘fresher. One of the perks of being Commander. Rex quickly dried off and shaved the scruff on his chin and neck, and then kitted back up before filling out a few miscellaneous reports. His chrono rang out indicating it was nearly time for the briefing. Rex preferred to be early.

The room was empty when he arrived, like he expected it to be, and he set up the holo table in the middle that would relay all the gathered intel they had so far about the mission, Shili, and it’s people. Right one time, each one of his men filed in around the large console in the middle, and they clipped their helmets to their belts. Skywalker had expressed at the beginning of the war that he preferred speaking to their faces, not a mask of plastoid. Speaking of Skywalker, the General walked in behind Coric, carrying a small tech chip.

“Torrent” He nodded to the men. “This chip has all of the information the Republic has about Shili and the natives. Dyre will fill us in with the rest of the information. Then, Rex will tell you how we plan to destroy that base. They all gave a short nod in response, and Dyre stepped forward as Anakin plugged in the intel chip.

A few images popped up, one of the planet itself which was a mix of a muddy green and a cerulean blue ocean, similar to the color that was painted on each trooper. There was a thick swirl of white clouds on the image, and Dyre explained that the atmosphere was thicker than that of most planets. Also, every evening part of the cloudy air sunk down to the planet’s surface and created a heavy mist.

Dyre quickly discussed the weather and climate, and then pressed a button on the console changing the picture. Rex had to blink a few times to register the image. It almost resembled a Twi’lek of sorts, but with different colors and stranger heads tails.

“This is a Togruta. They are the native species found only on Shili, and haven’t left the planet since years before the war. There’s uh, not much on them that’s particularly recent, but we do have a pretty solid evaluation from the last time the Republic was in contact with them.” Another image of a Togruta popped up next to the first. This one looked female. Rex couldn’t deny that it was quite the sight for sore eyes.

Dyre pointed to the head tails of the image. “These are their lekku, they grow longer with age, and these are the Montrals. They have echolocation abilities due to the fact that they are hollow inside. Togruta can hear up to fifteen feet around them, and sense movements as well. They all adorne facial markings which vary individually, and sharpen with age.” Rex listened intently, they appeared to be quite interesting creatures.

“Although Togrutas lean closer to humanoid on the spectrum, they still originate from highly primal and predatorial ancestors. They have two sets of needle sharp; retractable canines that carry a special type of anesthetic venom. Deadly to only certain species. As far as we know, humans aren’t one of them.” He didn’t sound so sure. “Based on the collected information from the last time they had been in contact with the Republic, Togruta live in tribes, led by a leader of the clan. They also have a native language referred to as Togruti, a mix of trills, clicks, and words heavily relying on vowels. Although they are advanced in technology and intelligence they preferred to do certain tasks using older methods. Basically, to sum it all up they are social, predatorial, smart, and dangerous.”

The room was quiet for a minute. Rex would be lying to himself if he thought they didn’t intrigue him just a little bit. Although, it didn’t seem like he would actually want to run into one, for his own safety.

“Well done Dyre, now here’s the plan.” Skywalker said, giving Dyre a proud nod. He flipped the holo so it focused on the planet and surrounding galaxy. “We will use a small shuttle carrying us and R2. By dividing into two groups, we’ll have a better chance of finding that base. Meanwhile Artoo, Denal, and Ridge will remain on the ship and circle through atmo to confirm if there is a listening post or base in the sky.” He turned to Rex and motioned for him to step forward.

“As General Skywalker said we’ll be splitting up into two groups. Group Alpha will be myself, Fives, Tup, Dyre, and Kix. Group Beta is General Skywalker, Echo, Jesse, Hardcase and Coric. We will remain in contact using synced comms, since we have the terrain specialist I ask you to inquire Dyre before making any decisions regarding the flora or fauna of the planet.” Rex knew how brash his men could be. Each trooper nodded, and they all synced their comms on the General’s mark. They ended the briefing, and Rex told his men to get some rest before they shipped out come morning.

Rex stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. It was moments like these where he wished he didn’t have separate quarters from the men. After a while it grew lonely, especially when he just needed the comforting feeling of being surrounded by brothers.

This wasn’t a new feeling. In fact, it happened the night before every mission, since Umbara. The sinking, desolate feeling that he would be leading his men for the last time. Leading them to their deaths.

Rex wasn’t much of a pessimist. In fact, he considered himself to be more of an optimist. But something about this mission just wasn’t sitting well with him. It was probably due to the many variables in question, new people in a new place. Rex trusted Skywalker with his life, and his men trusted him with theirs.

He wouldn’t let them down.  
__

“Are we sure it’s gonna fit us all?” Fives questioned, placing his bucket on his head, eyeing the Twilight.

Skywalker gave his astromech an affectionate pat. “Relax Fives, it’ll be fine. Besides, the Twilight is the only ship small enough that will be able to enter Shili's atmosphere without being detected by the seps.”

Rex had to agree with the man’s logic, but that didn’t stop the queasy feeling from entering his stomach.

Before loading up, he checked with Kix and Coric to make sure they had the proper amount of medical equipment if anything went awry, and with Hardcase to make sure the explosives were secured if and when they found the Seperatist base.

“Admiral, this is the Twilight, requesting permission for takeoff.” Denal spoke into the ship’s comms. Admiral Yularen’s pristine voice came back over the machine, “You are cleared for takeoff.”

Denal and Artoo began flipping switches and assisting the General as the ship lifted off of the hangar floor and into the vast blackness of space. After the ship entered hyperspace, Rex left Skywalker and Denal in the cockpit to check up on the rest of the men in the small common room the ship had.

“Captain” Jesse said, shooting Rex a lazy salute. In return he sat down on a nearby crate next to Tup. It was a calm atmosphere, Rex knew that around his closest vode he didn’t have to pretend he was so high and mighty.

“Hey Fives, why don’t ya tell the good captain here about your new revelation?” Tup smirked. Spending so much time with Fives was undoubtedly turning him into just as much of a troublemaker as the ARC.

“I was just thinking, I’m pretty sure I’ve got a thing for Togruta.” His grin was cheeky, and Echo slapped him upside the head.

“Oi!” He grunted, rubbing the back of his skull. Kix simply rolled his eyes.

“And how the hell would you know, vod? You’ve only seen a holo of ‘em. You already smitten?” Coric teased. Rex couldn’t help but chuckle. Leave it to Fives to turn some unknown predatory species into a pinup.

They continued with the light banter and conversation for the rest of the journey, until Rex’s comm rang.

“Rex here.”

“Rex, get the men ready, we’re coming out of hyperspace soon.”

“Copy that, Sir” He deactivated his commlink and turned to the company of clones around him.

“You heard the General. Let’s find ourselves a seppie base.”

—

The ship rocked slightly as it landed on one of the flat spaces of ground they could find. Surprisingly Shili was mostly thick and dense appearing forests with large stretches of what Dyre had identified as Turu grass, it was difficult to find a place to unload that wouldn’t leave them too vulnerable but still be big enough for the Twilight.

Denal lowered the ramp from the cockpit and Rex led Torrent out of the ship. He had to admit, the planet was quite beautiful. He had been to a lot of different places during his lifetime, but nothing had even held a torch to the picturesque rolling fields and cyan sky.

“Wow.” He heard Dyre breathe. “I mean I studied it, of course I studied it, but nothing prepares you for seeing something like this.”

Rex agreed with him. The battlefields they often fought on were the exact opposite of Shili. A planet still so pure and untouched by the filthy fingers of war.

He watched as the general made his way out of the ship as well, and then as the Twilight retracted it’s landing feet before flying off into the atmosphere. General Skywalker briefed him and the men one final time before the group split up, each heading in opposite directions. Beta Squad would be heading through the Turu grass and farther into the southern region of the planet, since Skywalker had proposed that if the separatists decided to build a base on Shili, they would do it on easy and open ground.

Meanwhile, Rex spearheaded Alpha Squad as they trudged through the short crop of field leading into the thick of a large jungle like terrain.

After a while, Rex found his liking for the planet quickly dissolving. Night had soon fallen and Kix and Dyre had both agreed that they hadn’t found a suitable place to camp out yet, so they had proceeded to continue walking.

Not only that, but the heavy atmospheric clouds that Dyre had prepped everyone about had slightly descended from the sky and were creating a mist-like blanket over the ground.

It had grown difficult to watch where he was stepping, and Rex was starting to worry a bit about the animals that lived in the surrounding nature.

“Sir?”

“Yes Tup?” He answered the trooper, wondering what possibly it was he could want to say. They had all talked about nearly everything under the moon, leaving them in a compatible silence.

“There- There’s something picking up on my scanners, I’m not sure what it is, but it looks rather..large” That was all he could say before an enormous creature jumped out of the wilderness and lept onto Kix.

“Kix!” Fives yelled before drawing his blaster and aiming for the beast. It was a massive mammal looking creature with cream colored fur, and two large teeth growing from the top part of the jaw. Rex could barely make out what must’ve been at least a hundred more smaller teeth lining the inside of the beast’s mouth.

“What in the karking hells?!” Tup shouted, leveling his own blaster.

It growled ferociously before tossing a groaning Kix to the side, and obvious dent in his armor. Rex pulled Dyre out of the way, the kid may have been skilled but he was a little slow in battle, as Tup ran to the fallen medic’s side. The creature charged at Fives, before the clone pulled out another blaster and shot it twice in the shoulder and once in the paw. It whimpered, growled, and then retreated back into the jungle.

It all happened very fast, and Rex was left with his mind reeling, chest heaving up and down under his chest plate. Dyre ran to where the animal had first emerged, while Rex followed Fives to the spot where Tup had began stripping the clone of his top armor.

Rex squatted down next to his vod, pulling his own helmet off. “You still with us Kix?” He asked, voice wavering slightly. The medic nodded meekly.

“Ye-agh-” He lurched forward as Tup gently pressed down on Kix’s abdomen. “Just a few broken ribs, sir.” His voice was surprisingly light for just being attacked by an animal fives times the size of him.

Fives holstered both of his blasters. “Guess this is as good a place as any to camp out. I’ll set up the tent.” He chirped, grabbing the backpack that had been tossed to the side in all the excitement.  
Tup helped Kix prop himself up against a large boulder before walking over to Fives and setting up the tent, Rex assumed he was also going to look for the small amount of medical supplies they had brought.

“Dyre, what the hell was that?” He questioned, trying not to scare the trooper. Dyre removed his helmet, clipping it to his belt before answering.

“That, sir, was an Akul. The planet’s resident carnivore. In most of the texts and readings I was asked to study they didn’t say much about the beasts, I assumed they were just a myth. Guess not.” He replied shrugging. Rex facepalmed, and then assisted Kix into the makeshift ten the rest of them had set up.

Tup passed out ration bars for the night, and they organized a watch schedule, just in case te Akul came back.

Rex had opted to take first watch, and sat on the boulder Kix had been leaning on earlier. The sky was brilliantly clear at night, hundreds of stars scattering the navy sky. He found it oddly...calming. Just the mist covered ground, the clear sky, and him. It was rather serene.

He looked back to his brothers, sleeping piled nearly on top of eachother. Kix was giving the small pillow and had a few bandages around his middle, much to the clone’s chagrin. Rex couldn’t tell if he was sleeping or not, but his eyes were closed and his breathing was even. It was good enough for the Commander.

He looked up into the sky once more.

Rex hoped General Skywalker and Beta were having better luck then they were at the moment.

__

Tup had offered to help Kix through the terrain, since he couldn’t really walk on his own without wincing or needing to stop and rest every five seconds. Kix had insisted he was fine, but Rex didn’t have time for the man’s self sacrificing medic bullshit.

Dyre stood close to Rex, reading out the scanner every so often to make sure they were in the clean from the Akul. Or anything else lurking in the wild for that matter. Fives continued to crack jokes and keep the mood light, and in all honesty Rex didn’t mind it. It was stressful enough looking for a seperatist base in an unknown planet, let alone having their only medic wounded.

“I’ve never seen trees like this before, sure I’ve seen some crazy lookin’ plants, but these are something else.” Fives said, running his hand along one of the winding trunks of a tree that twisted up into many others, creating a large overhang above the group.

“It appears they’re slightly biolumensact too, I didn’t notice that last night.” Dyre pointed out, tracing a glowing line on the wood.

“You and Echo are gonna get along just great when we get back to the Resolute.” The ARC teased, and it was obvious that Dyre was rolling his eyes behind his helmet. Rex had to hand it to the kid, he had only been assigned to the 501st right before this mission but had already gotten along with every member so far, he probably would be good friends with Echo once they returned.

Rex led the men through more of the jungle, but as they continued, it seemed almost never ending.

“Dyre, what are our chances of finding new terrain if we go north now? I highly doubt the clankers could handle this jungle and we’re just wasting time by making our way through it.” Rex asked the younger clone. Dyre looked around for a few minutes assessing their situation before nodding.

“I think it might be wise to change direction sir, we’ll have a better chance of covering more ground and hopefully finding easier ground for Kix to walk on.”

Rex nodded an affirmative before changing his direction, he could hear Kix’s groaning from the back of the squadron.

“Rex, please don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” His voice was frustrated. Rex turned around to face the medic.

“It’s not going to compromise the mission and I’m not willing to gamble with your health, so stop whining.” He retorted, humor lacing the serious statement.

They continued North for a few clicks before Rex started realizing the surrounding growth was just growing thicker and more all encompassing.

He held up his hand motioning for the clones behind him to stop.

“Sir?” Tup asked, confused.

Rex shook his head.”I don’t know, I just have a bad feeling about this.” He couldn't really explain it, just that something about this whole situation was growing more and more desolate from their actual goal.  
“The scanner reads that there should be a clearing a few more clicks forward, sir. We can set up camp and reevaluate our strategy?” Dyre suggested.

Rex nodded. “Fives, see if you can get through to Beta.” He watched as the ARC trooper pressed a button on his commlink waiting for an answer. Static was the only thing that could be heard.

“I think the signal is jammed from all this vegetation, Commander.” Rex signed. Could this mission get any harder?

He continued walking forward, Alpha Squad following behind closely. “All the more reason to find open ground, men.”

Rex took another step, and felt something wrap itself around his ankle before pulling him upside down and hanging him from a branch of one of the trees. He yelped as his DC’s fell from his hands and hit the ground.

“Watch out, traps!” He warned him men, unfortunately it was in vain as both Dyre and Fives were pulled up by long ropes as well.

They all remained swinging for a moment before Fives groaned loudly.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Dyre replied, obviously also fed up with the planet and it’s exhausting nature.

Rex watched Tup set Kix down and rummage through the pack, hoping to find a vibroknife of some sort. He could feel the blood rushing to his head and tried looking up at whatever had caught the three of them.

It was too complicated to have been a natural kind of growth, but Rex really didn’t want to think of what could have set this kind of intricate trap.

“I think these were set by someone.” Rex proclaimed, not sure how to proceed.

“You mean like a Togruta?” Fives asked. Dyre inspected the grey rope around his ankle. “It might seem so, the Commander is right, these are too well placed to have been an accident.”

Kix huffed from his place on the ground. “Well let’s hope we don’t run into the person who set them.”

As if on cue, Rex could barely make out a faint rustling of the leaves and a rusty orange figure jumped down from the overhang of trees. He did a double take, it was most definitely a Togruta. Her montrals curved upwards adorning blue and white stripes and an assortment of white diamonds crowned her face. Her lekku-That was what they were called right?- rested below her shoulders, making her probably around his own biological age.

Rex didn’t think he’d ever seen eyes so blue, so dangerous. He felt like he should try to fight or something, maybe scream for help, yet him and his brothers simply stood frozen and helpless as the goddess like creature stood in front of them.

Holding a very sharp looking staff.

“Who are you” The Togruta’s voice was laced with warning, and Rex opted to choose his next words very carefully.

“I uh, if you could just let us down we can explain everything. We mean no harm, promise.” His voice was slightly mechanical due to the modulator on his helmet, but he hoped the woman understood him clear. Did she understand all basic?

She huffed obviously amused before crouching down to eye level with him.

“I call the shots around here, republic dog.” She bit out. Tup stood up, and the woman immediately turned around and pointed her spear at him.

“Woah! I s-surender!” The clone pleaded, dropping back down. In any other situation Rex would have been thoroughly disappointed at Tup’s cowardice, but he would allow an exception here. If he was being completely honest with himself, even he was a little afraid right now. The Togruta appeared as if she was inspecting the men, and Rex couldn't help but take into account her figure and the outfit she was wearing. It resembled what they had been shown in the holopicture, but it seemed crafted more for hunting and agility. A burgundy tube top with strings of beads wrapping around it hugged her chest, and the same colored skirt wrapped around her hips. It was rather short, in Rex’s opinion, and tassels of varying shades of orange hung from the rim. An assortment of sharp and dignified white stripes covered certain angles of her body, matching the ones on her face. If he looked closer, Rex could also make out some sort of headdress upon her forehead, but he wasn’t sure what it was made out of- it looked strangely like the teeth of an animal. He also noticed she was barefoot.

She was pretty. Very pretty.

After a few more minutes of calculation, the Togruta sliced the ropes at their source, but not before kicking away all of their blasters. Rex fell to the ground with an undignified thud along with Fives and Dyre.

“I will ask you one more time, who are you.” She stood tall, awaiting for an answer. Rex was the first to stand, and removed his helmet to show her that they were people. They reached eye level making her about as tall as Rex was, her Montrals peeking a touch over his head.

“I’m Commander Rex of the 501st clone battalion of the Grand Army of the Republic. This is Fives, Dyre, Tup, and Kix. We were sent here on a mission to locate and destroy a secret Seperatist base. We were trying to set up camp to tend to our wounded before we got caught up in your trap, m’am. We mean no harm.” She smiled, devilishly, before walking in a circle around him.

“Even if you were a threat, I wouldn’t be too worried.” Rex scoffed. Apparently Togruta were bold.

The woman stalked over to the loose hang rope before tugging it off the branch it was attached too. “I’m Ahsoka. And you have just lost a family their dinner.” This time there was humor to her tone and she threw the now useless rope into the bushes.

Rex watched as the rest of his men stood up - except for Kix - and removed their buckets. The Togruta- Ahsoka- stood before Rex once more, offering him an even more detailed view of her breathtaking eyes.

“You say you have wounded?”

Rex swallowed and nodded. “Kix, our squad medic, was attacked by an akul. I think that’s what your people call them.”

She frowned. “Akul are quite deadly, you should be glad you all survived for never having fought one before.” Ahsoka walked over to Kix as he sat hunched against the boulder, the tiniest bit of crimson blood beginning to seep through his armor plates. Ever so gently, Ahsoka placed her hand against his wound. Kix flinched, but kept his expression schooled.

“Mother Shili would never forgive me if I allowed someone to suffer, even if they are republic soldiers.” She stood glancing at Rex. “I will bring you back to my village, the healers may assist your injured trooper. And you will speak with the clan leader..” Ahsoka stated.

He watched incredulously as she helped Kix onto Tup’s shoulder, and helped slip the pack over Tup’s shoulders. Clan Leader? This was going more downhill each passing minute.

“Uh, Sir?” Fives whispered.

“Yes Fives?”

“Are we really going to trust this girl? For all we know she could be leading us into a trap.”

Rex sighed. “It’s our only option. Besides, Kix is getting worse. At least he’ll receive medical treatment.” Fives nodded and proceeded to follow Ahsoka as she led the group through the dense jungle.

He reached for his bucket that was clipped to his belt, “No helmets, your faces should be revealed to the village once we arrive.” Her tone wasn’t commanding per say, more like a request, so Rex complied. He nodded to his brothers, and they did the same.

The journey was starting to take longer than Rex had anticipated. They had been trekking through the wilderness for at least three hours, he was starting to worry about missing the rendezvous with Alpha Squad. They were too far in now, plus, this so called clan leader would most likely want to speak with the General.

“How much longer until we reach your village?” Rex asked Ahsoka. She continued walking, but slowed her pace every so slightly as to stand next to Rex as they walked. He had to refrain himself from staring too long at her sapphire eyes.

“My clan resides further into the Northern Valley. You and your men were deep into the jungle where civilization is almost nonexistent. Hunting parties venture out into the jungle nearly every day to find prey, which is how I found you and your group.”

“So you’re a hunter?” Rex wouldn’t be surprised. Ahsoka had already displayed most qualities that an ARC trooper had.

“Not just a hunter, I am the leader of the pack.” She replied, a smirk playing her lips. Rex nodded.

“Impressive.” His own lips quirked up in a smile.

After a few more minutes of walking, and a rest break for Tup to transfer Kix onto Fives’s shoulder, they reached the rolling fields of Turu grass. Rex internally sighed with relief, he was starting to despise that jungle.

Ahsoka switched her spear to the other hand and turned around to face the group and began to walk backwards.

“There are a few things you should know before we enter the village. First of all, most of the clan members don’t speak much basic. It’s really only our clan leader and her guards, plus a handful of others. Keep your weapons concealed as best as possible, if threatened, they won’t hesitate to cause you harm. Republic soldier or not. Finally, kneel when meeting the clan leader and show the utmost respect.”  
Rex saw his brothers nod, Fives and Tup looking a bit nervous, Dyre looking incredibly fascinated, and Kix barely conscious. Ahsoka turned back around and continued to lead them through a patch of tall Turu grass.

“If most Togruta don’t speak basic, why do you? If I may ask.” Rex said, matching his step with the women once more.

“I wanted to expand my knowledge. Also as a hunt leader, Shaak Ti thought it would be a useful skill for me to carry. I wasn’t sure at first, but now I’m glad to have learned it. I wouldn’t have been able to help you otherwise.” Her tone was light, and Rex found himself becoming increasingly interested in the Togruta. At first, she scared the sithing hells out of him, still does, but after hours of walking together he was starting to grow rather fond.

“We aren’t here to cause any trouble, Ahsoka.” Rex reminded her. He needed her to know that they really had no intent of running into the Togruta, let alone creating trouble.

She nodded. “I know.” Her eyes met his own and Rex had to remind himself how to breathe.

The Turu grass had started to shorten, meaning they were reaching the end of the field. Ahsoka grabbed a tuft of grass and pulled it back, revealing the village. It was rather large, bigger than Rex had expected. There were huts scattered across the open land made of different kinds of grass,wood, and animal pelts. In the center of the village was the largest hut, the structure of it providing a regal and intimidating view. That must be where the clan leader lives.

Rex watched as Togruta of all colors and all lekku lengths walked around, wrestled, or simply talked. He had to admit, it was a beautiful culture. He had traveled all over the galaxy, seen countless groups of people and cultures, but something was unique about the Togruta. Rex could see from his peripheral vision as his brothers also took in the scene below them.

Ahsoka laughed, short and amused. “Breathtaking, isn’t it.”

The road down the hill wasn’t too steep, but Rex still helped Fives carry Kix down it. The medic groaned numerous times.

“C’mon Kix, hang in there.” Rex mumbled into his ear.

As soon as they reached the village, he could feel the tension rolling off of the surrounding Togruta. Ahsoka led the group, and let out a series of trills and clicks (presumably in her native tongue) to inform everyone that Rex and his vod’e weren’t dangerous.

Hesitantly, he watched as they stepped out of the way revealing a path to hutt in the center of the village. Two male guards of varying colors were stationed at the door, each holding the spear-like weapon that Ahsoka carried. Even being a high ranking captain of the GAR, Rex would rather not be on the bad side of these men.

Ahsoka must’ve given the guards a look because they glanced at each other before stepping aside and pulling the animal pelt doors with them. Rex followed behind her while Tup and Fives carried Kix and Dyre held the squad’s pack.

The hutt was even larger on the inside than it appeared on the outside. A long animal fur carpet led up to what was presumably the “throne” that their clan leader sat perched upon. There were two other doors to the side of the throne which must’ve led to other rooms. A holotable was placed on the left side of the throne.

Rex flexed his hands at his sides, trying to quell the nerves that were beginning to fester within him. A sturdy Togruta male stood in front of the throne, handprints of white paint across his chest, wearing a pair of loose tribal pants with an animal pelt thrown across one shoulder.

“This must be Shaak Ti.” Rex whispered to the men. They all nodded in understanding.

“Narini, I request an audience with Shaak Ti.” Ahsoka demanded. Rex backtracked, so this wasn't Shaak Ti?

Narini quirked a brow before leaving the main room and entering another one off to the side. He returned a few moments later and held back the heavy pelt door for another figure to step forward.

She was practically a walking goddess. All crimson colored skin and clean white markings and deep purple eyes. Karking hells, Togruta were some of the most ethereal people Rex had ever encountered.

Her outfit was similar to Ahsoka’s, but it varied in different colors. There were more shades of pink and deep purples. The skirt trailed all the way down to the floor with two long slits up to her mid thigh, and she too was barefoot. Must be a cultural thing, Rex thought. The clan leader’s markings were larger and more circular around her eyes, and a headdress similar to Ahsoka’s yet more elaborate and regal hung across her forehead and montrals. There was a ruby circlet on each lekku, and they hung all the way down to her hips.

Rex watched as her face remained impassive, yet her eyes were full of mirth. She waltzed over to her throne and sat down, motioning for Ahsoka to step forward. She did, ever so gracefully, and kneeled before Shaak Ti.

“Rise, Ahsoka.” Her voice was sickly sweet, kind even. Rex carefully watched his brothers, they were all enraptured by the clan leader.

“What have you brought back this time, little ‘Soka?” She mused, standing up and walking towards the group of clones. Rex gulped, she was getting rather close for his liking.

Ahsoka stood tall and followed Shaak Ti’s lead. “Republic soldiers, milady. They were caught in one of the traps out in the jungle. I brought them here because one of their men is wounded, and I figured you would want to speak with them.”

The elder Togruta nodded politely and circled the clones. “You must be the infamous clone soldiers of the Republic.”

Rex kept his shoulders squared and his face forward, attempting to avoid her mesmerizing gaze. “Yes, m’am.” She nodded again, stopping in front of Kix as he was slumped over Fives and Tup’s shoulders.

“And I presume this is your wounded?” She questioned looking towards Rex. He nodded. “This is our squad medic, Kix. We were attacked by an Akul and he was injured in the fight.”

“An Akul? You truly are soldiers of Mandalore blood. I will send for our healers immediately.” Shaak Ti snapped her fingers and two guards appeared from another room carrying a wooden stretcher. She released a set of trills and whistles, and they gently lifted him onto the transport. Fives was hesitant to let him go, and Rex whispered, “Follow him”. Fives nodded and left with Kix and they headed to the healing hutt.

Shaak watched with careful eyes as the two clones left the main room and Rex was once again aware that they were still in uncharted territory and that the Togruta could kill them if she felt it necessary. That reminded him, Beta Squad was probably losing their minds that Rex’s team hadn’t checked in yet. His fingers itched for his commlink to send a signal, anything, but he remained still and waited for further orders from the clan leader.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, Shili is off limits to off-worlders.” The Togruta stated standing directly in front of Rex. He could barely make out the needle sharp canines peeking through her plush pink lips.

He nodded firmly. “We are aware of that m’am. The Republic has received reports of a secret seperatist listening post and or base and dispatched a company of clones and our jedi general.” She perked up at the mention of the General and Rex mentally scolded himself. Way to go. She’ll probably kill you all now.

Shaak Ti turned sharply on her heel, long patterned skirt trailing behind her.

“What is your name, clone?” Normally Rex’s back would’ve gone up at the derogatory term, but she held no bite to her tone, the Togruta was simply curious for his name. His brain automatically produced his designation number, but he knew that would get him nowhere.  
“Rex. Commander Rex of the 501st Battalion.”

She smiled, slow and genuine, and walked over to the holotable off to the side of the room. Hesitantly he followed her, Tup and Dyre trailing behind. Ahsoka also walked over to the table to join them, standing between Shaak Ti and himself. His assessment of their relationship was pretty close, based on the nickname she had used for her, and how Ahsoka’s first instinct was to follow the elder Togruta.

Shaak Ti pressed a series of buttons on the holotable and a pixelated image of the planet appeared. She turned to Rex again.

“If the seperatist have decided to make Shili a pawn in their game, we surely would’ve known about it by now. But, if your Republic was so severely convinced about foul play that they sent a squad of clones and a jedi, it is probably something worth looking into greater detail about.” Her commanding tone reminded Rex of General Skywalker, it was an eerie feeling.

“I presume you still have your commlinks on you? I think our next best move would be to contact your jedi general and the other clones you have brought with you on this mission.” It wasn’t so much of a suggestion as an order, and Rex gulped. Shoving all of his creeping nerves and thoughts down into a deep crevice, he reached for the commlink on his wrist and locked onto the general’s frequency.

“General Skywalker, Sir. This is Captain Rex reporting in for the checkpoint call. Apologies for the delay sir, we’ve encountered er- a bit of a setback. Currently squad Alpha is in league with the Togruta clan, and they request for your presence. Forwarding you the coordinates now, sir.”

He ended the message hoping Shaak Ti had found it acceptable and typed in the coordinates sending them to the general. Rex prayed to whatever force god was out there that Beta Squad didn’t take too long to arrive. Calculating between the time it took them to arrive from their point in the forest, and any unforeseen problems, they would most likely arrive by daybreak tomorrow. He suppressed a shudder. That was a while away.

The elder Togruta at the holotable hummed in approval, and Rex felt himself relax slightly. “Since your fellow soldiers will not arrive until morning, I will have a hutt set up for you and your men, Ahsoka will show you the way out.” Ending the conversation, Shaak Ti stalked back over to her throne and Ahsoka tilted her montrals to the pelt door at the front of the hutt. The followed her out into the bright evening glow of the planet.

“That went rather well, all things considered.” Ahsoka remarked leading them behind the hutt. Rex grunted.

“I suppose it could’ve gone worse.” Dyre perked up, walking closer towards the two.  
“It’s very interesting that your clan leader is female. In most tribal cultures it’s the male who takes precedence.”

Rex rolled his eyes. “Way to insult their way of life Dyre.” He shot a glare at the younger clone. “He meant no disrespect, Ahsoka.”

She continued ahead, and chuckled. “I know. In Togrutan culture the women are just as valued as the men, if not more since we bear the children.” Rex and Dyre both nodded, the latter obviously intrigued by the fascinating aspects of the Togruta. “Besides,” She turned to face the three men. “It’s not as if I’m not capable.” Ahsoka smirked and continued leading them down a more secluded path to the door of a hutt. Rex smiled internally, she was definitely capable. That was for sure.

The hutt was smaller in size than the structure they had just been in, but it looked just as important. Ahsoka pulled back the striped brown animal pelt that covered the entrance, and Rex lead Tup and Dyre inside. Immediately he felt his shoulder go lax as he saw Kix being tended to on a soft looking bed and Fives sitting off to the corner, watching intently.

“Fives, Kix.” He said, walking across the small room to the ARC trooper. Kix simply groaned in retaliation, and Rex took note of his injury. The top half of his armor was stripped along with his black undershirt and stacked together in a corner. Probably Fives’s handiwork.

“Sitrep, trooper?” Rex asked Fives, and Tup and Dyre peered over the healers shoulder looking at Kix as he was being tended to. His peripheral senses were telling him that Ahsoka was also in the room, mostly likely standing by the door as to not overstep.

Fives sighed. “The healer speaks a bit of basic and said that it’s not too bad, but not too good either. Some internal bleeding, a cracked rib, but we got ‘em here before infection could set in so that’s good. Probably gonna leave a nasty scar.” His eyes held worry, but Rex could tell Fives was trying to remain calm. It wasn’t every day that Kix was injured.

He nodded and laid a hand on the other trooper’s shoulder. “Good man.”

The healer, an elderly male Togruta with yellowish skin and blue montrals, was explaining the situation simply to Dyre and Tup, using a gentleness that reminded him of General Kenobi when he was dealing with civilians after a campaign.

Ahsoka remained at her post, staff held in one of her hands.

“Thank you, for helping him.”

She nodded thoughtfully, locking gazes with him once again. “He should make a full recovery soon enough.”  
Rex sighed and came to stand next to her. The feeling of nakedness that came with not wearing his helmet had long faded, and he felt comfortable next to the Togruta.

“Would you like to get some fresh air for a minute?” Ahsoka asked, white brow markings furrowing slightly in concern. It wasn’t necessarily about the fresh air as it was the impact of the situation. After a moment of consideration, he nodded and followed her out of the hutt, leaving his brothers with the healer.

Instead of heading back to the busy parts of the village like he had expected, Ahsoka began walking off of the beaten path and towards a crop of trees. He followed catching up to her side.

She appeared to be walking with intent, not so much as just a stroll, and Rex asked where they were heading. “You’ll see.” She answered.

They walked for a few more minutes before he decided to ask her a question that had been lingering on his mind. “Are you the clan leader’s daughter or something?” He asked, hoping he hadn’t crossed a line with his companion. She paused for a minute, before continuing.

“In all but blood I suppose. My father died when I was very young and my mother went a bit mad not long after. My parents were close with Shaak Ti and after my mother passed as well she essentially raised me.”

It wasn’t the answer he had been expecting, so he pondered it momentarily. “I can understand that. I have my brothers by blood fighting beside me every day that share my face, but I also would consider the general my brother of sorts. If that makes any sense.”

A small smile graced Ahsoka’s lips. “I guess we are more alike than we were told to believe.”

Rex huffed. “I guess so.”

They walked continuously in a compatible silence before Ahsoka pulled back a large tree branch leading into a small field of Turu grass. He laughed and looked at her incredulously, ignoring the way his breath caught in his throat as the golden light reflected off her cerulean eyes.

“More walking? I hope your not dragging me all the way out here to murder me or something.”

Ahsoka laughed, whole and hearty, before gently grabbing his armored hand and leading him through the softly swaying grass. He could feel the warmth radiating from her hand to his own and it was oddly welcomed.

“Just wait.”

After a few minutes passed, the Turu grass began shrinking in size, giving way to a small ledge with a boulder perched by it. Ahsoka let go off his hand and pushed him forward a bit, Rex swore his eyes nearly fell out of his head.

A great ocean laid before him, calm and unmoving aside from the occasional ripple from animal life or the eeopie’s grazing off to the side. The water held a rich navy color, expanding far forward, but narrowing off on the sides. What was even greater than the water was the sunset that painted the sky above it. From Naboo to Coruscant to Felucia nothing was as indescribably beautiful as the sight before him.  
“I come here when I need to be alone, or in your case need a minute to regroup. Breathe.” Ahsoka grabbed his hand once more and lead him to the boulder which was rather flat at the top. They sat down on the rock, Rex ignored the slight discomfort his armor provided at the position. The plastoid material had been designed for battle, not watching the sunset on some far off planet.

“I- I don’t really know what to say. It’s just really nice to look at.” He heard the Togruta laugh lightly next to him.

“It’s calming, I know.” She waited a minute before continuing. “Is it like this on other planets, Rex?” It was a vast question, and he wasn’t exactly prepared for it, so it took him a moment to answer.

“To be honest? No. The natural untouched beauty of Shili is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s a bit of a strange sight, to see a planet flourishing and not scarred and burnt like most I’ve been to. I guess that’s just the life of a soldier though, constantly moving and standing his ground, even if the ground is charred and shriveling.” The words were tumbling off of his tongue, but in some kriffed up way, he knew Ahsoka would understand.

“I’ve never left Shili, I don’t even think I’ve been to the southern hemisphere of the planet. It’s too far to reach on foot. I have no idea what anything looks like other than the endless stretch of Turu and the painted sunsets you see before you. I just had to know what else was out there.”

Rex nodded. “Have you ever thought of leaving?”

Unphased by the question, Ahsoka answered. “Yes. All the time. In Togrutan culture, if a child is rendered an orphan they are simply adopted by the whole clan essentially. No one is left behind. But, I just can’t think for the rest of my life that it is best for Shili to remain passive as war rages the galaxy. This isn’t the Old Republic anymore, times are changing and I feel stuck in it. So yes, I’ve thought of leaving, but where would I even go? What would I do? It’s a frivolous thought.” She took a breath before speaking again. “Have you?”

Rex knew what she was asking, it was a bold question to ask a clone soldier of the Grand Army of the Republic, but in all fairness he had asked her relatively the same thing.

What he wouldn’t share with Ahsoka, what he would never share with _anyone_ was that the foundations on which he built his loyalty had slowly been crumbling ever since the sharp betrayal of Krell. Because at the end of the day, he really had no right to have these types of traitorous thoughts. It was exactly what could get him sent back to Kamino so the longnecks could poke and prod him about their disdain for human emotions.

“No. My purpose has and always will be my men, my brothers. I may not completely understand what it is the Republic stands for, but it’s my duty to make sure my men see another day. ‘Course I do think every clone at some point questions his purpose. I mean for kriff’s sake we were quite literally bred to fight and then die. It’s not absurd to think of what life might be like if I were to choose another path.” It was as good an answer as any. Truthfully, Rex didn’t fully understand it himself, but what he did have figured out he had shared with Ahsoka.

She hummed thoughtfully, staring intently out at the vibrant colors.

“What do you think you’d be doing, if you weren’t a part of the army?” She asked, soft spoken. Rex bit his lip.

“I don’t really know. Maybe a farmer? My skill set is pretty limited to the military. Owning some land might be nice, settle down with a wife and have some kids. Be close to my brothers. I haven’t given it much thought, to be honest.” He told her, turning his head slightly Rex found himself looking at her again. This time though, her once youthful and mischievous eyes were tinted with a wisdom beyond her years, a yearning for something more.

“What about you?”

She swallowed, still facing him yet looking past him, as if all the answers to life were on a sheet on flimsi behind him.

“I would see it all. Everything the galaxy has to offer. Then I would fall in love, the deep and true kind. The kind they write holodramas about and no one really believes is real anymore. I would pick my favorite place out of everywhere I’ve been and live there. Little ones running around my feet and a picturesque view in front of me. I would be content.”

Her azul orbs shifted back to his hazel ones, and for a moment Rex swore it was all that existed. Just the two of them in the moment, delicate as glass. Ever so slightly Ahsoka leaned forward until their faces were mere inches apart. Rex wasn’t sure about her own culture, but he knew it was probably against regs to do what they were presumably about to do. Meeting her until their noses touched, his heart sped up as if he were facing down a company of droids. Parting her lips and letting out a soft breath, Ahsoka leaned forward and met his own in a symphony of affection. The true kind, the innocent and lovely kind.

For the first time in his life, Rex felt whole in a way he couldn't really describe.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope this made your day a little better <3
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated as always.


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